HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY: Wesleyan Coach Jen Lane And A Round Table of Softball Moms Celebrate The Sport

FROM ACROSS THE POND: Catching Up With Tufts Pitcher Francesca Colangelo

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2591585/fan_mail/new] When Francesca Colangelo injured her knee at the start of the senior season at Lauralton Hall in Milford, she feared the worst. One last year playing with her friends and schoolmates was certainly gone, but what about the rest, especially her future at Tufts University. Thanks to a skillful surgeon, a caring coaching staff, and the heart, head and perseverance inside her own body, Colangelo returned to the field in time for her first season and she thrived. In this week's edition of The Inside Corner Podcast, Franny talks about her injury, losing her senior year of high school and how overcoming it all made her not just a better pitcher, but a better person, as well.

FROM BRISTOL WITH GLOVE: This Little League Softball All-Star Team Is Winning The Right Way

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2591585/fan_mail/new] The Bristol Little League Softball 12-year-old All-Stars have been successful at each and every level they've played since coming together a few years ago. Last year, as 11-year-olds, the team not only won the Connecticut State Championship, but they also went onto the win the Northeast Regional tournament, as well. This season, playing their final season together as Little Leaguers, Bristol won the District 5 championship and the Section 1 championship, leaving them as one of four teams playing in the Connecticut State Tournament's final four starting Monday in Waterford. The best part? It's about a lot more than just softball for this group.

ONCE A PANTHER, NOW A WILDCAT: Former Masuk Star Julia Bacoulis Transfers To Kentucky

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2591585/fan_mail/new] Former Masuk pitching sensation Julia Bacoulis, who helped the Panthers win four of their seven straight state titles before the 2026 season, has announced she is transferring to the University of Kentucky this fall. After leaving Masuk, Bacoulis attended Florida Gulf Coast University, but a coaching change after her commitment just didn't feel right to her during her freshman year in Florida, so Bacoulis entered the transfer portal and found a new home in the SEC. Bacoulis talked to The Inside Corner Podcast about the transfer, about her first season in college, about her four years at Masuk and more.

STATE FINALS PREVIEW: A Look At All Four State Championship Games

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2591585/fan_mail/new] Today we drop a very special edition of The Inside Corner Podcast. With the high school season winding down, we are joined once again by Fairfield Ludlowe coach Adam Laliberte and Stratford/West Haven-Notre Dame coach Gary Sherrick as we preview all four of Saturday's state championship games. The action begins on Saturday at 10 a.m., at UConn's Burrill Family Field in Storrs and runs all day with the last game slated for 7 p.m.

DIANA PEPIN: Former ECSU Coach Reflects On A 25-Year Career

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2591585/fan_mail/new] Following the 2026 college softball season, longtime Eastern Connecticut State University softball coach Diana Pepin announced her retirement. Serving as the program's sixth permanent head coach from 2002 through 2026, Pepin coached 969 games, winning 611, losing 355 and tying three for a winning percentage of .632. The Willimantic native and 1992 Eastern graduate served as head coach for half of the program's seasons, coached 51.2 percent of its 1,893 games and recorded 49.9 percent of its 1,224 victories. Pepin took some time out to talk to the CT Softball Blog's The Inside Corner podcast about her career as well as her future and the future of her chosen sport.